Winter Return

I took a stroll out at Minto Brown Island yesterday.  It was cold and much different from the last time I was there.  The long grass is brown, the leaves are gone and everything is drab, sort of.  Anything growing close to the ground is green.  It’s protected from the weather by the dead grass and leaves.  The wildlife is still active.  The squirrels are looking for the last of the hazelnuts and the blue jays are giving them some competition.  The ducks and geese have a watery wonderland and few people to bother them.  Still, there was an ominous orange sign warning hikers that a cougar was sighted in the area.  That’s one encounter I’m happy not to have.